I can explain

I have some very delicious bread rising on my stovetop right now, and as it will be taking care of itself for thirty minutes, I spanked myself over to the computer to write a post – FOR THE ENTIRE TIME.

I cannot give an elaborate excuse for my posting lapse, save sheer laziness. And the fact that I am about to start my first outside of Nanowrimo NOVEL. That has been an interesting development, particularly because this tale is unlike anything I have ever thought of, let alone attempted to immortalise.

It all started with a story I wrote for a writing course last semester entitled The Long Way Home. Basically the gist of the story was that I was walking home and was attacked by a pack of stray dogs, and that one of them ended up sticking up for me, so I brought him home. Little did I know that this had begun a new fascination.

A few weeks later, I was sitting on my couch – it was a Thursday afternoon, I believe – frustrated with my writing and ready for a change. So pen went to paper, and I came up with the following paragraphs:

This story begins with a farmer cultivating his pumpkin field. The farmer was a dog, which may sound strange to us, but you must understand, the land of Sanskratoon is fully inhabited by dogs. So farmer dogs cultivating their pumpkin fields is perfectly normal in this story.

The farmer’s name was Arrow. His uncle had recently given him the pumpkin farm; it was something that made a very good birthday present to Arrow, because he didn’t have a penny to his name. But now, with every pumpkin he sold, he was slowly saving enough money to buy food for the coming winter. This meant, of course, that he had pumpkin every night for supper. It was a good thing his father had taught him one hundred ways to cook a pumpkin.

And so a tale I had intended to read to my six-year-old little sister turned into something much more than that. After completely changing my story, turning farming to sledding (and realising that dogs don’t eat pumpkins), I am now beginning a brand-new novel (with a goal of 100,000 words) starting this Monday. I’m hopefully going to find some kind of widget that’ll keep track of that wordcout.

FAQ (well, more like expected FAQ):

Why not horses? You’re horse-mad.My reasoning for this doesn’t really make sense. But I will say this – I know too much about horses. If I tried to make up a world for them to live in like I have done for the dogs, then I would be hindered by my own knowledge. Honestly, the less I know about something, the better my imagination is fueled (and the more distant it becomes from human culture and Erin Hunter.)

Does your story have magic in it?
No. I don’t believe magicking is something to be toyed around with in books.

If evil magic exists, which, as shown from The Witch of Endor, I Samuel 28:3-25 and Simon the Sorceror, Acts 8:9-24, it does, then it isn’t something I want to writing about.

I also believe that if good magic is real, and powered by God, then it’s too holy to be used in fiction, just like I wouldn’t make someone use God’s name in vain in one of my stories.

So this means no wizards or witches or magical stones or anything.

When will your story be complete?
That depends on how complete you’re looking at. I’m hoping to have the first draft done by November 2017. Then, after Nanowrimo, I’ll begin editing with my mum, who has graciously volunteered her services. If it does turn out to be anything good, then you can expect it to be sold by 2020.

Do you want to hear some of my story ideas?Sure! I’ll at least give an ear to what you have to say, and who knows, you may see it in the book.

Can I have a cameo appearnce?
If you want. All you need to do is tell me the following:

1) what name you would like to use (no screenames please! It would sound weird to say, “Hi, my name is DogLover5521. What’s yours?”)

2) which of the following four breeds you would like to be:

German Shepherd,

Golden Retriever,

Siberian Husky (I prefer blue-eyed ones but this one is still pretty cute),

or Border Collie.

(Hopefully these photos melted your cute-o-meter.)

It has to be one of these four, because it’s kind of a major plot point. 🙂

I figured this would be a fun way to involve you guys in my tale. So don’t be shy, there will be a place for your cameo!

That pretty much sums up my story. Now, onto actual news: I have been volunteering at a barn, and earned my very first riding lesson there on Wednesday! It was a ton of fun. I’ll write up my experiences there in another post.

Well, this ramble took longer than thirty minutes. At least I posted. 😛

Grab my button!

What I’m Reading…

I began reading this one on a campout. Finished CotW but still working on WF. Note: do not read while sleeping outside in the vacinity of coyotes. You will find that many unpleasant thoughts show themselves and freak you out.

THE book for animators. It’s very entertaining but is PACKED with info.

AKA Dickens Tells A Story But Not Really Because Half The Book Is Him Yammering On About Some Miniscule Detail.